Product Description

This comprehensive dictionary provides an essential reference for plant pathologists and agriculturalists at all levels, listing the authoritative names of all major plant pathogens. The 11,000 entries, which include fungi from over 500 genera, 800 viruses, bacteria, mollicutes, nematodes and viriods, contain brief descriptions and thorough supporting references. There are also entries for the names of diseases and disorders, crops and their pathology, fungicides, taxonomic groups, terminology, toxins, vectors and past plant pathologists. Overall, the volume provides a wide-ranging resource for all those working in the discipline. In this new edition over 3000 entries have been added and many existing entries updated and expanded. In addition, common disease names such as "blight" and "canker" are now more conveniently included under the relevant crop.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1049712 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 560 pages

Review
'... this dictionary is unique in its kind and completeness and undoubtedly it will be invaluable to all researchers working in applied plant pathology. The layout is pleasant and clear ... this book should be on the bookshelf of all plant pathologists and mycologists working with plant pathogenic organisms.' Liliane E. Petrini, Sydowia '... this dictionary should be in the possession of everyone involved in plant pathology in any capacity.' D. D. Clarke, Mycologist 'This volume is a welcome and very useful addition to the litereture in phytopathology. It is one of the 'essential' new books that should be in every plant pathologist's library.' Phytopathology News 'There is no comparable book; this one was undertaken to fill the void in the literature. It would be very useful to researchers and students of plant pathology.' E. L. Williams, Choice 'The author has been successful in filling the gap in the literature by writing the first comprehensive dictionary of plant pathology. The work is authoritative, of interest to plant pathologists at all levels, and an essential addition to personal and library reference collections.' Elizabeth B. Davis, ARBA 'It is a pleasure to report the issue of the second edition ... this is a standard reference work.' Mycotaxon 'Now in paperback ... it is a terrific bargain ... an excellent and scholarly production that should certainly find a regular place on the desks, rather than bookshelves of all those interested in plant diseases, their causes and control.' J. M. Duncan, Journal of Experimental Agriculture ' ... the author deserves full credit for his enormous effort to compile such a dictionary. The book can be recommended as a standard reference source for plant pathology institutions and libraries.' Journal of Phytopathology

Review
"This fully revised edition, published nine years after the author's first version, contains 11,000 entries with 3,000 of them new and numerous others updated and amended...Entries, printed in bold face, are alphabetically arranged. Compared to the first edition, the present book features additional literature citations and more cross references and common disease names...This well-bound and authoritative book fills an important niche as a reference source in plant pathology for individuals and research libraries interested in phytopathology." Streams

"This book is a valuable reference for plant pathologists and many horticulturists." HortScience

"This book, in my opinion, is a 'must have' for every person working in the field of plant pathology...Everywhere one looks, more information has been added to the second edition that improves its usefulness. For those who have the first edition and use it regularly or even occasionally, acquisition of the upgraded version is definitely worthwhile...In summation, this reference book comes highly recommended to new users or for those in a position to upgrade and is literally full of succinct data and information." Inoculum

"An authoritative reference on plant pathogens has been long overdue, and this book is a good attempt to fill that gap." Current Books on Gardening & Botany

Book Info
An essential reference for plant pathologists and agriculturalists, offering coverage of all of the major plant pathogens. Coverage include more than 500 genera, 800 viruses, mollicutes, viroids, and nematodes. Also includes entries for the names of diseases, crops and their pathology, taxonomy, fungicides, terminology, toxins, and much more. Previous edition: c1989. Softcover.

Customer Reviews

A Good Buy at This Price for Plant Pathologists
This reference provides readers interested in plant diseases with access to a wide range of useful information: authoritative names of plant pathogens; concise definitions of terminology; names of infectious diseases and noninfectious disorders; brief information on fungicides and other varied topics; and in all cases, citations into the main literature.

The greatest strength of the book to be in the definitions of terminology. Definitions provided in the Dictionary carry the weight of a scientific society, as they are based primarily on a paper published in 1973 by the Federation of British Plant Pathologists. Most of the technical terms I sought during my review were defined in simple, clear, and precise language. I found this reference to be very valuable for refurbishing a glossary used in my introductory plant pathology course; it was also handy for periodic reference throughout the semester. A few conceptual terms are missing, such as exclusion and avoidance. In a relatively small number of cases, the definitions given for certain terms do not reflect the varied ways the term may be used by specialists throughout the world. One example is the term virulence, although in fairness, it should be noted that plant pathologists do not agree on the usage and meaning of this term, and the Dictionary does cite key literature from that debate. Overall, however, the reader will find this reference to be an excellent resource for understanding the often arcane terminology of the profession.

As a bibliographic list of authoritative names of plant pathogens, the Dictionary is valuable although not flawless. Each taxonomic entry includes useful and often numerous bibliographic citations, with keywords describing the content of each. The names and brief descriptions of genera and higher taxa are without question valuable, as are the citations provided with each. Of the recently renamed fungal and bacterial pathogens which I checked, up-to-date nomenclature was provided for most. However, several pathogens with name changes proposed in publication two years or more prior to the publication of this reference were found listed only under their old name. A pathogen's accepted scientific name reflects a consensus among specialists in their respective disciplines, and consensus takes time to achieve. Therefore, it is not surprising that there is some lag between publication of a proposed new name for a pathogen and the appearance of that name in a comprehensive reference such as this. Two of the pathogens I investigated were still listed only under their old names although name changes had been proposed in publication five and nine years prior to the publication of the Dictionary, periods of time that suggest an occasional oversight. Instances also were found where the entry for the old name was not cross-referenced with the new name, although such cases appeared to the exception. Nomenclature of plant-infecting viruses appeared to be excellent, providing up-to-date names for the viruses themselves as well as for genera and families. Overall, this is the best single source of authoritative names of plant pathogens available, especially given the dynamic nature of microbial taxonomy, although some current names do not appear in the Dictionary.

Other information such as disease names, fungicide information, and other miscellaneous topics appears to be technically accurate, and having so much available in one volume is certainly handy. However, this reference necessarily can only serve as a starting point for the reader on any of these subjects, since very little information on each can be provided in the context of a comprehensive dictionary. Of course, the Dictionary provides citations here, as well, which will direct the reader to further information.

While there are a few deficiencies noted above, this is a valuable reference for those working on a regular basis with topics relating to plant diseases. It should be a standard reference for libraries, departments, and offices with ongoing involvement in agricultural science, and especially for those in plant pathology.

This review was originally published in the Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education; it is reproduced with permission.